Nanny's cornbread is not something we can take lightly. It's probably the one thing that she can be most picky about, and probably enjoys the most. Her cornbread is pretty much fried in a cast iron skillet, crispy as can be on the outside and soft and moist as cake in the middle (but NEVER sweet). After baking she NEVER washes the skillet, instead just lets it cool in the oven and then places it back down with all the others.
There are 2 ways to prepare this recipe- one using self rising corn meal and the other, the recipe that Granny Ruth always prepared (if you've lost track, that's my great grandmother)
The plain truth of it is the cornmeal itself makes all the difference in the world. Nanny's cornmeal (Subert's) is delivered monthly from Lynn Dillingham's brother, in South Carolina, but if you don't have access to the "good stuff", she and I can both recommend using "Three Rivers" cornmeal, or any course ground meal (not corn flour) you have come across. If you have access to the Old Mill of Guilford Corn Meal(Nanny does not care for it, says it isn't not course enough) try that-- mom and I like it when we don't have access to the South Carolina treasure :)
Cornbread Recipe 1
(the cheater recipe, but this is what Nanny prepares these days)
**this recipe isn't so much a recipe at all, but more like a guideline :) **
For a 5" skillet
3/4 cup SELF RISING Corn Meal
pinch of salt
a little bit of sugar
1 egg
2 dollops of vegetable oil
buttermilk
Preheat oven AND skillet (with 2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil) to 425-450 degrees (This is crucial because if the skillet isn't hot enough you won't get that good "crust"). Preheat before mixing the ingredients below because the corn meal will begin absorbing the liquid and ruin the consistency.
Mix corn meal, salt, sugar, egg, and vegetable oil. Then begin adding the buttermilk. The amount of buttermilk depends on the amount of meal you are using but a good rule of thumb is to mix enough buttermilk into the meal so that the batter is the texture of a thick chowder or the consistency of gravy. :)
Pour the batter into the very hot skillet and bake in the oven until dark brown.
Turn the cake out onto a plate before cutting or serving (upside down, as my significant other has so nobly pointed out to me)
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The following recipe is pretty special to me. While I don't make this recipe as often because the self rising does so well, it will always be so valuable to me because this is the exact recipe I grew up making with my mother in our own kitchen... Even today, we use the same recipe card that was given to my mother from Nanny, handwritten as "Mother's Recipe" (Granny Ruth)... it's discolored, torn, folded, and in a really delicate state (See picture above), but that's why I love it. It shows the love that this recipe has been shown for so long. I'm 25 now and I can't remember ever using another recipe card to make cornbread. It will forever be the best.
Cornbread Recipe 2 (Granny Ruth's Recipe)
3/4 cup plain cornmeal (not self rising)
3 tablespoons AP flour
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon soda **see note
1 egg
3 tablespoons oil or bacon drippings
Buttermilk or plain milk
**if using buttermilk omit soda
We prepare this in a 8" skillet.
As with the above recipe, preheat oven and skillet (3-4 tablespoons vegetable oil or bacon drippings) to 425-450 degrees.
Mix cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and soda (if using plain milk). Add egg, oil. Mix and then add enough milk or buttermilk until the texture is similar to gravy- (not too runny but not thick, either).
Add to the HOT skillet and bake until dark brown. Turn out onto a plate for serving :-)
Serve with butter (adding a bit of garlic salt to the butter adds a wonderful twist- something Nanny introduced to my mom and me and have loved ever since).
goodness... sounds so good I'm going to have some right now :) ...now if only I had some beans cooked with a ham hock....
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